In the News

LAUSD slow to report on teacher misconductAn audit finds that the school district failed to promptly inform a California panel about allegations, including sexual ones.

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles school officials failed to promptly report nearly 150 cases of suspected teacher misconduct — including allegations of sexual contact with students — to state authorities as required by law, an audit released Thursday concluded.

L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy said the district has already moved to address the recommendations in a state audit critical of how it reports and investigates allegations of child abuse.

Responding to a state audit that found delays in L.A. Unified School District's reporting of allegations of child abuse, Superintendent John Deasy said he has already improved the district's reporting and investigation procedures.

A new survey of Californians' attitudes on domestic violence found that the vast majority of respondents believe that the abuse can happen to anyone, and 66 percent said that they have a friend or family member who has been a victim.

The survey is a rare measure of public attitudes and awareness toward domestic violence among adults in the state.

Today, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) approved an audit request with a 9 to 4 vote, to examine the implementation of and compliance with nondiscrimination laws in California public schools. The audit was jointly requested by Assembly Members Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Betsy Butler (D-Los Angeles) and prompted by accounts of continued harassment and bullying in schools.

A California lawmaker became confused when a word used historically to mean strange, or as an insult to homosexuals, was spoken on the Assembly floor today by another lawmaker referring favorably to gays and lesbians.

Assemblywoman Linda Halderman, R-Fresno, said she had always thought that the word "queer" was a "degrading epithet." She expressed surprise after Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, said the word during a floor debate.

California lawmakers today approved a request for a state audit on how schools implement anti-bullying and harassment laws after recent incidents in which students were targeted for their sexual orientation.

It's no surprise that California's cash-strapped public school districts have been looking for new ways to generate funding for student supplies and activities. It is surprising that some of them have been attempting to use their students as that new revenue source.

Extracting fees for student activities is nothing new - any public school parent can tell you that schools have been asking parents to kick in contributions for certain student needs, like transportation or school lunches, for decades.